Toast at Four
by The Alien of Pluto
Summary: Messing with Regenerating Stones is not the best idea, even in controlled conditions. Messing with one aboard the unsteady and often chaotic environment of the Condor would be an even worse idea. This time though, Piper can't blame Finn.


**Toast at Four**

Aerrow leaned back farther into the wall. He was standing in Piper's room, near the door. About ten minutes ago he'd come in to tell her that Finn and Junko had left for Terra Neon for the day and that it was safe to come out. That had been a mistake. He had barely been able to duck out of the way as a shoe came flying toward him.

"Keep your mouth shut, Finn!" She had groaned.

Aerrow wasn't dumb enough to correct her, nor to risk moving out of the room in case there was anything more Piper could throw at him. As far as he could tell she was trying to make a Regenerating Crystal, mostly just to prove to Master Cyclonis that she could. Piper shrieked in frustration, making Aerrow jump. He cried out as he lost his footing and fell.

"Aerrow?" Piper said, whipping around.

Three of the crystals in her hands crashed together as she turned and abruptly there was an explosion of smoke.

"Piper!" he shouted in alarm, quickly getting to his feet and rushing forward. He heard her coughing but he could see nothing. He stopped and waited for the smoke to clear. When finally it dissipated Aerrow just stared. He felt his mouth drop open and was aware that his eyes were wide as disks, but he couldn't stop. He shook his head to clear it and looked back down.

"Piper?" he asked hesitantly. She cocked her head to the side, and then nodded. He didn't believe it. It was four year old Piper! Then he smiled, he couldn't help it, she was too cute. She smiled in response and lifted her arms up to Aerrow,

"Up!" she cried cutely.

Aerrow blinked. "Uh...?"

She reached up again, stretching to her tip-toes, "Up!"

"Oh!" He laughed, bending down and lifting her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly strangling him. He gently pulled her hands away and moved slowly toward the door. He got about halfway there when he stepped on the shoe Piper had thrown earlier. Little Piper screamed as she fell, releasing her hold on Aerrow as he let go of her, trying to balance. Instinctively he threw himself forward, catching her and rolling so she was on top of him. They hit the floor hard, Aerrow's head smashing on the door, Piper bouncing up again on his chest. Aerrow groaned and sat up, Piper sitting back on his lap. They blinked at each other, then Piper moved first. She moved so fast that Aerrow didn't even feel the kiss before she was back where she'd been before. He lifted a hand and touched his cheek, glancing quizzically at her bouncing happily at his feet and automatically blushed. He got up, picked her up again and walked carefully to the bridge, setting her down on the couch.

"Toas'!" she cried bouncing up and down on the couch. She looked at Aerrow a moment later and, realizing he hadn't moved, started chanting,

"Toas', toas', toas'!"

"Toast?" he asked, she nodded. "Oo-kay"

He moved to kitchen, Little Piper following. He silently got the bread and put it into their new toaster oven. Then they both sat at the table and waited. Little Piper swinging her now-too-short-to-reach-the-floor legs and Aerrow just staring off into space, wondering what would happen to Piper later.

"Check!" Piper shouted suddenly, making Aerrow jump again. She burst out giggling.

He opened the door of the toaster and bent down to check, mostly show for Little Piper.

"Me see!" she said suddenly appearing beside him and reaching up to him. He bent and lifted her up.

"Done!" she cried, waving her hands in the air before reaching in a grabbing the bread.

"No L'il P! It's still-"

"OW!" she cried, her eyes tearing up as she pulled her hand out of the small oven. She stuck her fingers in her mouth, tears spilling down her cheeks and watched as Aerrow reached in and pulled the toast out, avoiding the metal walls of the toaster. He turned back to her,

"What do you want on it?"

"But'er and Peamu' but'er" she said around her fingers.

She followed Aerrow with her eyes as he got out the butter, peanut butter, and a knife. She watched with narrowed eyes as he opened the peanut butter jar and brought the knife to it.

"No!" she cried, "butter furst. Hurry!"

Quickly Aerrow spread a thin layer over butter on both pieces of toast and glanced at Little Piper before plunging the same knife into the peanut butter and spreading that on too. Then he put the toast on a little plate and handed it to her. She sat down where she was and stared at her toast. She didn't move.

"Aren't you gonna eat it?" Aerrow asked sitting down too and crossing his legs. He noticed the look of concentration on her little face as she stared.

"Then what are you-"

She held up a tiny hand, palm out, signaling him to wait. He waited. Five more seconds passed before Little Piper reached out and picked up the first toast. Carefully, still with the look of concentration on her face she bit the crust off of the edges, turning the toast all the way around. Then she picked up the second and did the same. Aerrow shook his head,

"You look like Finn."

* * * *

Finn walked into the room, Junko following not far behind.

"What looks like me?" He asked.

Then he stopped, looking around for Aerrow.

"Down here, beside the table." Aerrow said.

"What are you doing down there?" Junko asked.

"I'm not," Finn and Junko exchanged a look, "its Piper."

Now they looked concerned and rushed forward, peering around the table, fearing some kind of injury. Instead they saw what looked like a mini-version of Piper, peeking up curiously at them. They blinked. Finn let go of the table in shook and fell forward, landing on his face. Little Piper giggled, falling backwards herself.

"What-?" Junko started, one eyebrow raised in confusion.

"There was an explosion in her lab and when the smoke cleared and I could finally see, Piper was four years old! Then she wanted toast," Aerrow explained quickly, leaving out the part with the kiss, "and now here we are. I don't know if it'll wear off and she'll go back or not."

They looked back at Little Piper, sitting and singing to herself or to her toast, they couldn't tell.

'_Take away the crust,_

_Nasty crust,_

_Peel away,_

_peel apart'_

Piper lifted her toast and stuck her thumb into the soft part between the two toasty edges and slowly began to pull them apart, trying her best to keep the buttered part together.

'_aall goonne!_

_Four toas's, _

_Good toas' and _

_Yucky toas''_

Aerrow looked at Piper, bemused, Finn stared at the toast thoughtfully, Junko licked his lips and eyed the cupboard. Aerrow looked back at Little Piper and watched as she cheerfully chomped on the plain piece before shoving the full, buttered part in her mouth and smiling up at him.

"You think she knows what's going on?" Finn asked.

Piper smiled wider and turned back to the other piece of toast.

Just then Stork walked into the room with Radarr,

"Okay." He said, "Radarr officially does _not_ have fleas."

He noticed the huddle around Little Piper, dropped Radarr and leaned in closer, examining Piper before abruptly standing back up again,

"I am **not** getting involved."

He turned and walked out of the room leaving the others with blank expressions.

"Figures" Finn said.

Suddenly there was a bang and smoke and Piper was back to fourteen years old.

She glanced around, noticing the plate, the peanut butter on her hands, and the proximity of the boys.

"What's going on? How did I get _here_? And what's with the peanut butter?!?"


End file.
